Kicking Off 0.10

So, it’s been a bit longer of a release cycle than I planned – a moderate illness followed by the loss of my sister derailed my energy – but now that I’ve recovered, I’m pleased to announce that the development of the 0.10 sequence has officially commenced! Here’s what all 0.10.0 will have in store when it’s released:

Further UI refinements in Lab and Shipyard. People have said that they prefer the quick and easy way to purchase things with a single click. While I want to preserve the additional detail, I think I can introduce a compromise solution. I can make it so that the first click selects an upgrade and future clicks on the same upgrade will perform the purchase action (if you have the resources, of course). Additional details will also be added to refine the interface even more (such as the missing projectile speed info on weapons).

Items System overhaul. Up until now, the Items system has had you deploy items one at a time – first a ship, then weapons and modules. The new Items System is going to allow you to set up a ship and its weapons and modules in one shot. It’s also going to have a much cleaner way to manage ships and their upgrades en masse, along with other creature comforts that have been requested.

The third Alien Power. This new alien power (as yet unnamed) will be relating to Credit gains, with a secondary focus on boosting the performance of the Lab where CC gains are concerned. The third alien power will also have upgrades relating to Laser-type weapons.

New ships for the Terrans and Centauri. The first Centauri ships will be released, and these will introduce ship-based bonuses – for example, to Scrap collection for Centauri ships. As such, they’ll be somewhat weaker in damage output, but will make up for that with their Scrap bonus.

Speaking of damage, I’m going to be making an effort to rebalance ships and bring their performance much closer together. Don’t be surprised if your Corvettes suddenly receive a huge damage buff in 0.10.0, or if other ship types start becoming viable options too.

New Artifact-based weapons. Finally, I’ve decided that 0.10 will be when the first upgraded weapon of each Alien Power will be released – a kinetic weapon for the Terrans, an explosive/missile weapon for the Centauri, and a laser weapon for the as-yet-unnamed third Alien Power.

Prototype Achievements. I’ll be adding in a new achievements system – not the Steam one yet, but just in game – which will reward Neutronium and Neutron Stars for reaching certain milestones in game. If this system works, expect to see Steam Achievements become a thing in or around 0.11!

Now with more PEW and less bug. As always, I’ll be sure any bug fixes I’ve missed or new ones that crop up are addressed in 0.10.0, to make sure the game stays fun for everyone.

As of right now, I really can’t forecast a release date – the Items System overhaul is almost certainly going to be the deadlock – but I’m targeting an April release at this point. Obviously, I’ll release devnotes as I go, with updates on where I’m at and what difficulties may arise.

Before I wrap up this devnote, I just want to say thank you all so much for how much you’ve decided to support development. Already, Idle Space Navy has made over $500 gross in just a month, which is more than I honestly ever expected for my first project. I hope the game is enjoyable even without feeling like you need to buy Neutron Stars, and that you enjoy it enough to consider supporting development in the future as well.

On to 0.10 and the future of Idle Space Navy!